


Momentum

by gosenshii



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Multi, Post-Canon, Post-War, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24096244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gosenshii/pseuds/gosenshii
Summary: A Zutara Headcanon drabble collection born from a community activity hosted at the Zutara community at Tumblr. One-shots for all your tastes including Romance, Angst, Humor, and Family/Gaang. And as always, all Zutara goodness at its very core. Happy reading!
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 52





	1. First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> ･❪ ❁ ❫ ･
> 
> mo·men·tum  
> latin  
> a moment, importance, instant, time, season. 
> 
> ･❪ ❁ ❫ ･
> 
> mo·men·tum  
> noun  
> 1.  
> the impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events.  
> 2.  
> PHYSICS  
> the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ❧ - First Kiss Headcanon

* * *

**Momentum**  
A Zutara Drabble Collection

> Z/K- _“He knows all of my secrets and still wants to kiss me”_ / -Warsan Shire.

* * *

He kisses her first.

The world had just started to settle into an uneasy peace when the gaang is invited to a celebration in their honor at the Southern Water Tribe. Toph complains it´s too damn cold but Sokka is the happiest any of them had seen him in months, and Katara has already managed to open a bending and healing school within hours of landing.

Rebuilding the entire known world had taken its toll on all of them, so it's not long before they are all a little drunk on happiness, punch, and Fire Nation summer wine from Iroh´s own personal stock, brought in especially for the occasion. There´s music, dancing, and enough food to feed a whole army; Aang has been dragged to the dance floor by Ty Lee and Sokka is hustling winnings from an arm-wrestling competition he set up between Toph and some Water Tribe hunters.  
Laughter and smiles come easy nowadays, but Katara is still waiting for this to feel like her life.

That´s when she sees him excuse himself and exit the tent. It´s strange to see him without Mai at his arm, but she would be lying if a part of her is not pleased with the current change of events. When Katara had inquired about the break up a few weeks past all she had gotten from the Fire Lord was a tired smile and a simple “she just didn't understand” comment as a way of explanation. Katara had only smiled shyly and let the subject slide.

But now...

She would later blame the summer wine, the laughter, and the carefree atmosphere of the party, but before she can think twice of it, the water bender girl is following him outside, and no one but Iroh takes notice of her leave.  
Light snow has begun to fall and he stands with his back to her, arm extended, watching snowflakes evaporate the second they land on his outstretched palm. He has disregarded his coat completely and the bright red of his robes makes a shocking contrast against the white drop of the snow-covered street.

“Zuko?”

He looks back at the sound of her voice and smiles, one of those secret smiles she can never quite figure out.

“It was getting too hot in that dining hall,” he says, and Katara decides not to comment on the absurdity of it all (a fire bender master that prefers to brave the arctic cold instead of a stuffy dining hall? Really now, Zuzu…!).

“Are you? ...is everything alright?” It´s a simple enough question but suddenly he turns completely to look at her, and the intensity reflected in those golden orbs is anything but.

And suddenly the world shifts and she´s free-falling, coming undone at the seams and the pressure that´s been building up inside her chest for months finally bursts and oh, gods, he knows! He knows! He knew even before she did, but oh...! Now she understands and there´s no going back.

Her eyes are wild with shock bordering on hysteria, and Zuko can see tears are not very far behind. So before she can turn to go and leave him standing alone in the middle of an empty street with a storm of unresolved feelings, he reaches for her; his hands gently cupping her face, thumbs softly caressing her cheeks.

She´s gone as cold as the chilled night air around them and when he speaks his breath is a puff of steam against her skin.

“…Katara?”

He sends a small wave of heat through his hands and into her skin, his own silent way of reassuring her. She melts into his touch and finally takes a deep breath, her eyes refocusing on his once again.  
He has never been good with words and she´s not used to losing control. She´s stubborn to a fault and he has learned that duty must come even before his heart. And yet here they are, on the verge of crossing a line, one they have been too patriotic to cross before (because, Aang!). But logic, reason, and patriotism are concepts the heart knows nothing of. They have been fighting this for so long there´s nothing left to do but to give in.

And so he kisses her, slow and demanding, giving as much as he takes. Telling her everything his words could never convey. Her hands find their way to his hair and he pulls her closer, deepening the kiss.  
She smiles against his lips before breaking apart and planting a kiss against his temple, letting him hold her a minute longer before stepping back.

“So…”

“Yeah…”

“I don´t regret it,” the intensity is back in his eyes. “And I won´t apologize for it.”

“I wouldn´t expect you to. I don´t regret it either.” Suddenly his smile matches hers and she wants nothing but to bury her head in his chest and kiss him silly again.

“So what do we do now?” He asks in a single breath and she can see a little bit of anxiety creep back into his face.

“We do the right thing, Zuko. We can´t keep lying to him or to everyone….to ourselves. The rest will just have to fall into place as we go. That´s all we can hope for.”

“Katara?” there’s light in his gaze and a goofy grin on his lips.

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you again?”

She laughs, letting go of all her fears, and lets him do just that.


	2. Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ★ - Sad/bittersweet headcanon

> Z/K- _"She leaves and it is too hard to watch, so you turn away."_ / ([x](https://awfulmachinations.tumblr.com/post/111226825188/she-is-made-of-glittering-eyes-and-lithe-lines)) Sekmet and Isis, Maddie C.

* * *

They become best friends.

It’s the most natural order of things, and nothing had ever been easier.

They write letters to each other, tell each other things they would never share with anyone else; confessions of hopes and fears, shameful truths, and beautiful dreams.

The letters come once every two weeks without fail, and this pleases Katara more than it should.

But soon her engagement with Aang is announced and the letters suddenly stop. Then its radio silence for a whole month before his final letter arrives, on the very day of her wedding, delivered by him personally.

He comes inside her waiting room without warning, his eyes drinking her in as if memorizing every line, every detail, and freckle on her skin. She tries to speak but no words come out, so she wears her questions on her eyes and desperately hopes he answers them.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he kisses her lightly on the cheek, pushing an envelope into her hand and tells her she looks breathtakingly beautiful, wishes her good luck and leaves.

Her heart tightens and breaks; shatters in ways she didn’t know it could. She waits for the tears to come but they never do. Her disappointment is bigger than her pain.

Her hands still shake as she breaks the royal seal and unfolds his letter.

There´s a single sentence written on his familiar scrawl, printed across the page, and this time the tears do come.

If truth be told, part of her--the part of her that had always belonged to him--had always hoped to hear those words. But they had reached her far too late.

Time had failed them; he had failed them. And now she would fail him. 

She burns his letter and dries her tears. Fixes her make-up and walks out the door. She could hear the ceremony starting below.

…And yet…

Even as the blue-eyed waterbender girl says her “I do”-s at the altar, his words are still ringing inside her head, burning, suffocating her…

> “ _I think I could have loved you.”_

Oh, gods.

 _I think I’ve loved you all along._ She wants to tell him. Shake him. Scream the confession at the top of her lungs. Instead, she swallows the words and buries them deep within herself, says her final “I do” and kisses her groom. 

> “ _I think I could have loved you.”_

_I think I still do. Oh gods, I still do._


	3. Firstborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ♥ - Family/STEAM BABIES! headcanon

> **Z/K--** _"did it take you long to find me? you’re here now, welcome home." / Warsan Shire_

* * *

**[Now]**

His firstborn comes screaming into the world on the worst tropical storm ever recorded in Fire Nation history; on the 28th day of the seventh month, to be precise. A date the young Fire Lord would never forget.

The common folk would later joke their Fire Lady´s pain had been such that she herself created the storm, a statement Zuko would assure them with an easy smile was not far from the truth. 

Truth be told, the young Fire Lord had never been so scared in his life. His wife´s pregnancy had been a long and difficult one, and the birth of his child had been no different.

**[Then]**

She’s already weak from weathering weeks of anemia and hypertension when the labor pains start. He takes her by the hand and gently leads her to the nearest chair, calling out to her personal maid to fetch the healers. It was time.

“Zuko…” her voice is small, frightened, and trembling with emotion. Her hands move to rest on top of her swollen belly and when she turns to look at him, eyes welling up with tears, he can feel his own heart breaking. “I’m scared.”

He falls to his knees at her feet, gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs before kissing her forehead and holding her as close as he dared. “Katara, listen to me.” Her concern, he knew, was not for herself. “You’re the strongest woman I know. Everything will be alright. I’m here, every step of the way. I’m here. I love you.” 

She kisses him full on the lips and nods her head in agreement, tears still running silently down her cheeks. “And I love you, husband.”

･❪ ❁ ❫ ･

Both Fire Nation and Water Tribe tradition dictated men could not be present during childbirth, but neither of them cares. He never leaves her side.

He keeps the water inside her birthing pool warm while whispering words of reassurance after every wave of pain; whipping off the sweat on her skin as the labor becomes more intense. And when the time comes for her to push he is right there holding her hand, wishing he could somehow will his own strength unto her. 

After what feels like an eternity her grandmother finally looks at her with calm blue eyes and tells her to push one last time, as hard as she can, and a minute later his son makes his debut into the world.

“A boy! Hello, little one.” Kanna announces to the room, and Zuko’s heart could burst with joy. He wants to weep and laugh at the same time; to stay and run off to tell the whole world all at once. He settles for kissing his wife, staring at her in complete awe as Kanna places his newborn son into his wife’s arms. 

“You did it, love. You did it. God Katara, he’s beautiful.” Despite her exhaustion a small laugh escapes her and suddenly he’s crying, and she’s crying, and the entire world reduces to that one single perfect moment in time where he’s holding his family. Later, after remembering how to properly breathe again, Zuko would realize his life was now divided into two: before and after his child. 

**[Now]**

He watches his son play with the turtle ducks at the same pond he himself had played in as a boy. Life still felt unreal, but it had never been more perfect.

The young prince was on a quest to capture one of said turtle ducks, a task that had turned rather difficult after running out of bread crumbs. Now the turtle ducks wouldn’t come anywhere near the shore, aggravating his son to no avail. And then to his surprise, the boy seems to come to a solution, suddenly striking a basic fire bending stance–one Zuko knew was taught mainly for concentration—followed by simple yet fluid hand movements…water bending movements. Movements he himself had seen his wife do countless times during everyday life. Apparently, he hadn’t been the only one watching. 

Fire bending footwork and water bending hand motions; his son never ceased to surprise him. 

Nevertheless, his son’s infamous royal pout returns the second the boy realizes his efforts have been for naught, and Zuko chuckles to himself thinking perhaps it was time for them to go before he had to stop his 6-year-old son from jumping into the pond in further pursuit of turtle ducks. 

“Come, Iroh. We’re late for your fire bending lesson with Uncle.”

His son jumps at the sound of his voice, clearly having forgotten his father’s presence. He turns to smile brightly at Zuko and quickly makes haste to his side, taking his father’s hand. 

Only 6 years of age and already a handful. Iroh had his uncle Sokka’s energy, his mother’s stubbornness, and a natural curiosity for the world around him that could only be matched by his blind determination to learn as much as he could, as fast as he could. He had his father’s golden eyes, his uncle Iroh’s peculiar sense of humor, and his mother’s kindness; but he was without a doubt, his father’s son. From his mannerisms down to his ability to persevere, (as Katara would remind her husband every time their son would insist on having whatever his little heart desired for days and days without end on sight), Zuko could always see a part of himself reflected in his child.

“Daddy, I wish I could water bend like mommy. I could play with the turtle ducks better.”

“I’m not sure the turtle ducks would agree with you, son.”

Iroh looks up at his father, accusation in his eyes.

“That’s mean, daddy.”

Zuko takes the opportunity to ruffle his son’s hair. “A little bit, yeah. Sorry, squirt.”

“Dad!!”

Zuko can only laugh and pull his son closer, wishing for his boy not to grow too fast.

“Daddy, when are uncle Aang and aunt Toph coming back?” Iroh, hair now properly dishevel, pulls away from his father’s embrace and takes his father’s hand once more. Big, hopeful golden eyes look up at Zuko and suddenly the fire lord has an inkling about where this particular conversation was heading.

“I don’t know, son. We’ll have to wait for their next letter.”

“Aunt Toph said she’s getting me a giant badger mole for my birthday this year!” 

_Aaaand, there it was._

Zuko inevitably has a terrifying flashback to Toph’s last birthday gift to his son, a wild reddish rabbaroo which had escaped not even an hour after his son’s birthday party but not before wreaking havoc all over the palace. 

Zuko was going to murder Toph Beifong. With his bare hands. 

But then again, on second thought…

“Be sure to tell your mother when you see her at lunch today, she’ll want to make arrangements with your aunt first.” He’d probably pay for this particular move later on, hopefully in the bedroom, but for now, desperate times called for desperate measures. “Now go on, knock on your uncle’s door, we’re already late.”

He could leave the murdering to Katara. She was better at dealing with the earth bender than he was. Toph knew how to push all his buttons; he could never say no to her.

Uncle answers the door on the forth excited little knock, looking a little harassed. “Aha! You’re late today, Your Highness!” 

Iroh junior beams at him in response, bowing low in greeting before unceremoniously throwing himself at his uncle’s arms and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. 

“Unf, you’re getting heavy in your old age, Prince Iroh!! I soon won’t be able to carry you!”

“You’re so silly, uncle. I am as heavy as you were when you were me!” 

“Iroh, _manners_ ,” Zuko warns, but the old general’s hearty laughter booms across the garden, mirth dancing in his eyes. 

“Of that you are right, my dear nephew! Have you been practicing your fire bending stances?”

“Yes, sir!” 

“He even burnt a hole in Katara’s favorite curtains by accident last night. He’s been relentless.”

“Like father, like son, eh?” 

“Just don’t say that in front of Katara any time soon, uncle.” 

“Uncle! Uncle! Aunt Toph is bringing me a giant badger mole for my birthday and daddy says I can keep it!!!”

“Oh, did he now? And what did your mother say?” the ladder is said with a humorous glance at Zuko, who looks like a fox-antelope caught in a cross-fire.

“Iroh, I said you could talk to your mother about it during lunch, nothing else. Now, shouldn’t we be heading down to the training grounds?”

“Your father is right, little one--time for practice. Go on ahead and start your warm-ups. We’re right behind you.” 

The old general waits for the young fire prince to be out of earshot before teasing his nephew.

“So, a giant badger mole, huh?”

“I might’ve worded my answer to him incorrectly earlier. I think I’m in trouble.”

“I thought as much. He’s far too bright for his age, you have to be careful.”

“Suddenly Sokka’s offer to get him a moose lion cub is looking far more appealing.” his uncle chuckles, wrapping a comforting arm around his nephew’s shoulders.

“Let’s just wait for after lunch. Katara has an uncanny ability to negotiate with the young prince.” 

“That she does. I’d be lost without her.”

“Wouldn’t we all, my nephew, wouldn’t we all…”

**fin.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don’t think Zuko would name his first son after Iroh, you are totally wrong and we can’t be friends. Jk! (But you are wrong). /


	4. Healer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ♦ - Quirks/Hobbies Headcanon

> **_Z/K- “_** _Of all the intersecting lines in the sand, I routed a_ _labyrinth_ _to your lap.”_ / Sea Legs by The Shins.

* * *

**_01._ **

It all starts with an old book and a rare flower.

Zuko gives her the heavy tome for her twenty-sixth birthday, _Known_ _Plants of The Four Nations: A Study of Medicinal Botany,_ from what was once his grandmother’s own private library. To accompany it, Toph brings her back a rare medicinal flower from deep within the Earth Kingdom Jiang-Xi caverns. It takes her less than a week to devour the whole volume and although Katara would never admit to it, both flower and book quickly become her second most valued possession.

By the end of the month, the water bender master has already put what she’s learned into good practice, effectively creating several new tonics and herbal draughts for her people. She is, after all, a born healer, and the efficiency of her medicine is quickly noted.

The discoveries her newfound hobby bring soon inspire the water bender master to start her own garden; cultivating a wide variety of plants and herbs while creating her own hybrid specimens in order to widen her research. 

It’s not long before word of Master Katara’s Garden gets around and sure enough, Katara finds herself the recipient of plant life from all corners of the four nations, its senders as colorful and diverse as the plants themselves. Toph and Aang make a point to indulge her every time they travel, but it is Zuko who takes it upon himself to turn her studies into a prosperous national health project.

And that’s when the ‘love letters’ begin—metaphorically speaking, of course.

Or at least that’s what Toph tells her during one of their notorious mud masks-and-cocktails-slumber parties.

“The man has never been good with words so he’s courting you through actions,” Her friend deadpans while pouring another drink for herself. “the only problem is, you keep trying to convince yourself it’s all in the name of friendship.”

It takes Katara three shots of a bitter, awful smelling concoction (of Toph’s own invention, naturally) to finally accept the truth behind her friend’s words—and a couple more to forget she ever did. She eventually tries to argue against the idea, but there’s simply no winning against Toph Beifong.

“Oh, Sugar Queen, you can lie to yourself all you want but you’ll never be able to lie to me! I can feel your heartbeat speed up just at the mention of the poor boy!”

They finish Toph’s hellish contraband and now move on to a bright purple bottle containing some sparkly fruity alcoholic drink Suki sent as a way of apology for missing out on tonight. Katara could no longer remember her own name and Toph could no longer properly stand, but onward they went, exhuming truths. 

“And you know what the saddest part is?” the earth bender continues, grabbing Katara’s face between her hands.

“That I’m this drunk and I still can’t block out the sound of your voice?”

“No! The pathetic bit is that you’re both pinning after each other while failing to notice the other feels _exactly the same way_. We all know Sparky digs you! So can’t we just skip over the small talk and jump straight into matrimony!? Iroh wants grandchildren and he isn’t getting any younger, you know.”

And that’s exactly when Katara decides to shove her friend right into the mud pool, drink and all, before promptly stumbling to the nearest shrubbery to throw up.

**_02_**. 

It’s a miserably hot, humid morning.

Katara sits outside among the flower beds underneath the shade of an old oak, nursing a hot cup of ginger-tea for her aching stomach. Toph had left only a few minutes before, claiming breakfast and a sparing practice with Iroh, but not before leaving her with one last question about a certain fire bender. 

_“Is it really that difficult for you to see how much he cares for you?”_

She knew the answer before the word even left her lips.

“ _No._ ”

She had known it all along. And perhaps that’s what had terrified her.

His feelings had clearly always been there for her to see. Marked in every action and in every kindness; veiled in each handwritten note thoughtfully added to the many margins of all the books he had given her throughout the years. Colorfully woven in the way every new envelope full of seeds he sent while apart came with a detailed drawing of what the plant would eventually look like during all its stages.

But most of all she felt it in the way he looked at her as if she was his favorite unresolved riddle in the entire world. Like a paradox he was now too fond of to give up on. 

A soft, euphotic smile dances across her lips despite the sharp stomach pains, the thought of him loving her as more than a friend warming her more than any tea ever could.

**03.**

Like in all previous visits to her oasis he comes bearing dumplings and green tea. In turn, Katara has a trey of his favorite sweet cakes waiting for him, still warm from the oven. He’s discarded his royal tunic for the day and sports his sparing clothing instead, ready to spend the next few hours weeding overgrown flower beds and teaching her more hand-to-hand combat.

They find solace in each other’s company, their conversation flowing easily as usual. Laughter comes just as naturally and Katara decides she rather likes making the young Fire Lord smile, a feat not many can claim to nowadays. Rebuilding the world from the ashes of war and prejudice had taken its toll on the young dragon, as they now called him, but to her, he’d always be simply Zuko- _her_ Zuko. So when he nonchalantly lays his head on her lap to rest during tea time, she runs her fingers through his hair and lays a chaste kiss on his brow without a second thought or care in the world. It’s overwhelming and confusing, yet nothing in her life had ever felt so damn _right._

She ignores the little voice inside her head whispering that nothing in her life had ever come easy, and so why should this be any different? But the sun feels wonderful on her skin, there’s a cool breeze ruffling every single leaf in her garden, and there’s a handsome slumbering Fire Lord on her lap; and so Katara pushes the nagging voice away, hoping for better days.

**04.**

He’s beaten her 2 out of 3 matches by the time he calls a truce. They had taunted each other as they sparred, pushing each other harder and further than they had ever done before. Her joints scream in protest as she tries to move to the nearest chair, and there’s definitely a new bruise on her thigh from her last fall. Zuko follows after her, massaging a sore shoulder and grinning as he went. “I’ll be feeling that kick tomorrow.” He tells her, and it’s her turn to grin. She had returned as much as she had gotten despite her loss.

“I’ll heal it before you leave, you big baby.”

He lies on the floor at her feet, exhausted; smiling at her like any cheeky kid would after getting exactly what he wanted.

But when the sun retires for the evening, so does the fire bender.

Katara suddenly finds herself making insignificant small talk just to keep him a little bit longer, but duty and exhaustion are stern masters and eventually win the battle regardless. It was time for him to go.

He towers well over her as he pauses momentarily to tenderly kiss her cheek, hugging her close while whispering a quick good night. She barely has time to mumble a quick reply before he’s gone and she’s left watching his retreating back, chest still aching, rising and falling with want.

The gossamer feel of his lips on her skin lingers, and although the trees nearby are still merrily dancing in the cool breeze, her whole body feels as if it were on fire. 

Katara decides that the next time he dared kiss her, it better damn well be on her lips. 


End file.
